Chairperson, Minister, the finances of the Department of Labour are certainly improving, as the Auditor-General recently told us, but I must ask you about the Compensation Fund. In this mid-term budget appropriation there is a request for an additional approximately R26 million to go to the Compensation Fund.
My question is: Does that approximately R26 million relate to the Compsol court case, when it, on behalf of many clients, sued the Compensation Fund in order to get the payment of their medical expenses, etc, from the Compensation Fund? If the approximately R26 million does relate to that court case brought by Compsol, does the Minister believe it is correct that the taxpayer should be funding that court case as a result of a lack of good administration in the Compensation Fund? If it does not relate to that court case, can the Minister then explain why that R26 million additional budget amount is required for the Compensation Fund?
Finally, would the Minister agree that, as we are getting court cases against the Compensation Fund because they are unable to pay in time and properly pay people who do claim from the fund, it is time that we agree with the Compensation Commissioner when he requested that we should privatise the health care benefits of that fund? Thank you.